We joke, but the issue here is significant enough that if Howard does opt for surgery, it could cost him a major chunk of the season. That's the kind of discomfort we're talking about here, which was evaluated by a Los Angeles-based nerve specialist, per Woj.

The problem is focused on the piriformis, a small muscle located behind the gluteus maximus. But, nothing is truly all that small when you're as gigantic as Dwight Howard, and the Wizards surely feel like enough is enough at this point.